The Great War & Armistice
(1914-1916)
Despite the entry of the United States, the war still raged on. In the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire witnessed to ever-growing threat of the Arabs, who had managed to capture the Holy City of Mecca. The victory would lead to the creation of an Arab state from Aden to Aleppo, becoming the Kingdom of Hejaz.
The threat of the German U-Boat was nevertheless present, demonstrated when in the Adriatic Sea, the Italian troopship SS Principe Umberto is sunk by the Austro-Hungarian submarine, in yet the deadliest sinking of the war, with 1,900 lives lost.
In July, the Battle of the Somme would occur, becoming one of the Great War's most infamous battles yet.
During the period following US entry, Titanic, Olympic, and Gigantic could be seen often in the ports of either Halifax Nova Scotia, or New York City as they picked up thousands of young American soldiers, who were eager to fight for liberty, freedom, and justice. Among one such was Quentin Roosevelt, son of the current President and part of the United States Army Air Service.
The younger Roosevelt would journey across the Atlantic onboard the Titanic, later becoming among many who would refer to the great ship as the “Old Faithful.”
The War was less than ideal, specifically, for the Central Powers. Between July and August, the Battle of the Somme raged, in August, Romania became convinced, in part by US entry into the war. Italy followed suit. Having seemingly failed, and with the entry of the United States, Erich von Falkenhayn was removed from Chief of Staff. In his place, Paul von Hindenburg would take the position.
Misfortune continued for the CP, as Bulgaria would ultimately enter into the Great War, but on the side of the Entente following the entry of the United States.
With the Arab Revolt, Romanian, Italian and Bulgarian entry on the side of the Entente, followed by the soon-to-be arrival of thousands of reinforcements, the CP were soon to experience the walls closing in on them from all sides.
German armies were redeployed from the eastern front, between September to October for what would later named the German Autumn Offensive, with the end goal being to cause as many casualties as possible and take Paris before US troops could arrive.
It began would a mass artillery barrage, one so intense the earth was rocked as dozens of high-explosive shells rained down upon the allied soldiers along the front. German troops, some part of the newly formed “Storm-Trooper” units lead the attack. The Battle of the Somme ended finally, though with massive casualties, whilst the German thrust made progress but stalled out before being ground down in December.
The first of the three Central Powers to fall would prove to be the Austro-Hungarians, as a combined offensive from Russia, Romania, and Serbia proved too much for the aging Empire in decline, and once upon the death of Franz Joseph the 1, led to an armistice under new Kaiser Charles I. The Ottomans, would the Bulgaria’s close to the gates of Constantinople herself, followed shortly mere days later.
Germany, war-weary and having itself surrounded in a now futile effort, ultimately would request the armistice itself in December 1916, bringing the end to the Great War.